


the price we pay to feel

by tinypersistence



Category: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, from a prompt i received on tumblr, title comes from next to normal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-29
Updated: 2017-09-29
Packaged: 2019-01-06 20:18:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12218196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tinypersistence/pseuds/tinypersistence
Summary: Dee knew the hands of time were catching up on them, but for now she would enjoy this moment. The world can continue rushing around them. They’ll catch up. Or at least they’ll try as hard as two scumbags can.





	the price we pay to feel

**Author's Note:**

> from a prompt i got on tumblr! i may or may not have gotten a bit too personal with the whole "twin brother leaving the state suddenly" thing smh.

“Please let me stay.”

Dee jumped a bit as Charlie’s unnaturally timid voice cut through the static quiet of her apartment after her impromptu shouting and ranting upon finding Frank rummaging through her refrigerator looking for eggs (of which she had none because he had already eaten them all). 

She had gone off on him to the point where even he’d looked a bit nervous and eventually all but shoved him out of her apartment. She’d been so into her shouting match with Frank that she must not have noticed that Charlie was sat at her small kitchen table twidling his thumbs and working on a single lonely beer. 

When Dee finally turned and looked at him, she really noticed the dark circles under his eyes and the slightly washed out look that his skin had gained.

“I have no where else to go,” he continued cautiously, rubbing the back of his neck the way he does when he’s nervous and refusing to make eye contact with her. “I can’t go back to the apartment with The Waitress there. She really won’t leave me alone, and I’m kinda scared that she really might be-”

He swallowed the rest of his sentence, beginning to shake his foot and bounce his knee like some junkie. But Dee knew what he meant. He was too scared to say it, but she knew. This was karma though. That’s what he gets for being a creepy asshole for all these years. Stalking and obsessing over some girl he didn’t know a single detail about other than her job and the problems the Gang had caused her.

“Charlie, I just got Mac and Dennis and Old Black Man out of my apartment. I do not want or need another roommate. All I want is some goddamn peace and quiet for once in my goddamn life. And now that Dennis is gone doing whatever the fuck he’s doing now, I MIGHT finally have a chance and you’re NOT going to ruin this for me!” She tried to pretend that even mentioning Dennis (who still didn’t really feel gone at this point) didn’t make her stomach drop like she’d fallen down a flight of stairs. He may have been an abusive, repulsive asshole, but he was still her brother. Her twin brother. They’d never been this far apart before. He may not have been anywhere in the vicinity of decent to her in decades, but them existing together had been her normal for so long. She didn’t feel like she knew who she was without that normalcy. She wasn’t used to not being part of a pair. It was frightening. 

“One night. Only one night, I promise! And then… I’ll figure something else out,” Charlie resigned,pulling her out of her thoughts and standing to finally look her in the eyes. “If she’s still there after that, then… I guess I’ll just have to pull a Dennis or something.” “What?” “Y’know… do the dad thing? Or just… figure something else out with her? Like an abortion or something? I don’t know.”

Dee knew that what Charlie had done was truly shitty this time. She couldn’t work her way around it like she had many times before with her own shitty actions. He deserved everything that was coming to him. And yet, there was still something selfish and terrifying pulling at her heart. Something that wanted to (and threatened) to crack open the brick walls she’d built around her fragile self-esteem and mask of a tough ice-cold bitch she’d fashioned herself with after years of rejection and berating. Years of getting the short end of the stick in every aspect of her life had made her who she was and all of that effort that went into constructing a form of protection for herself were about to come crumbling down over one bad night.

But of course, it wasn’t just one bad night that caused all of this. It was a culmination of everything. Dennis leaving, her own manic depression, years of abuse, and Charlie. Charlie. God dammit. Smoking. Diner hopping. Dirtgrub and the Aluminum Monster. Def poetry. Gentle kissing. Sex. Love…? Fuck.

“Y’know what? Fine. Go ahead. Ruin my night, Charlie!” “So… does that mean I can stay?” Dee groaned loudly enough that all of Philadelphia could probably hear her. “Yes, you can stay you jackass!” 

“Cool!” Charlie said, sounding genuinely appreciative. “I’ll even make you breakfast in the morning!” Charlie smiled, looking softly into her eyes. She tried (and failed) to refrain from softening her gaze. He was sweet. Even though she was a little scared of what his definition of “breakfast” was. It made her feel stupid to think about, but none of the guys she’d slept with before had ever even offered to make her breakfast.

Fuck The Waitress for trying to take this from her. She didn’t care if he was a shithead. They were both shitheads. Together. That’s what made them so great.

Before Dee knew it, one night turned into two. Two nights turned into a week. Charlie sleeping on the couch had turned into Charlie sleeping next to her in her bed after he’d complained of “back problems”. Each night they inched closer and closer together, until they were all but touching. She didn’t want to let him go. Didn’t want him to potentially fix his problems with The Waitress.

He had to eventually. But for now, she was content with feeling his warm body next to her. His soft, gentle breathing. She closed the gap between them as she pressed a soft kiss on the tip of his nose. Dee knew the hands of time were catching up on them, but for now she would enjoy this moment. The world can continue rushing around them. They’ll catch up. Or at least they’ll try as hard as two scumbags can.


End file.
